Biography

American hepaticologist from New York. Caroline Haynes originally studied as a painter, spending several years in Paris where she was tutored by A.W. Bourgyeau, A. Stevens and Claude Monet. On returning to New York in 1902, however, she developed an interest in the cryptogamic plants, particularly hepatics, and began a course at the New York Botanical Garden under Marshall A. Howe. Haynes began to publish papers on the liverworts and was particularly keen to encourage others to study and collect this group. Responsible for founding the Hepatic Department of the Sullivant Moss Society in 1904, she was elected first curator of its herbarium (1904-1910) and also undertook this role for a brief period in 1917-1918. Her publications include regular reports for the Hepatic Department, works to aid those interested in the study of liverworts (such as "Helpful literature for students of North American Hepaticae" in 1908) and papers on important hepatic collections of others, such as the Washington and Oregon material of A.S. Foster (1909), the hepatics collected by S. Rapp in Florida (1915) and a list of the French collection of Major G.H. Conklin (1919). Haynes was also extremely generous towards amateur or fledgling liverwort enthusiasts, donating money in private to fund their projects. In later life she moved to Highlands, New Jersey, where she continued to collect hepatics before returning to New York where she died in 1951. Haynes' collection was donated to Harvard University in 1942.

Sources:
A.J. Sharp, "Caroline Coventry Haynes (1858-1951)", The Bryologist, 58: 149-152.